We hear from the consistently brilliant Yavuz Kabuk as we continue to champion those in our Hall of Fame roll of honour.
Here at Fantasy Football Scout, we are acknowledging the best of the best when it comes to Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
And so, every year, we will salute the top five managers in our prestigious Career Hall of Fame.
The managers who can break into the top five will be immortalised on our Hall of Fame page.
You can check your own position in the Hall of Fame by becoming a Fantasy Football Scout Member and joining either of our two FPL mini-leagues.
Our Live Hall of Fame, which is updated throughout the season, had its first refresh for 2021/22 over the September international break and you’ll be able to see all the correct new IDs attached to the managers in question.
Having previously heard from Hall of Fame number one Fábio Borges, nine-time top 10k finisher Finn Sollie and the consistently excellent Morten Tveito, up next is Dutch maestro Yavuz.
He has seven consecutive top 10k finishes, finishing 123rd in the world for the 2020/21 season.
HOW DO YOU GENERALLY APPROACH FPL? WHAT IS YOUR MAIN STRATEGY/STYLE?
I usually divide the season into three parts and approach each one in different ways.
The first part of the season is the most chaotic one. I always start with proven names, except for one or two, but play more aggressively afterwards. In this period, I tend to make early transfers, take hits and jump onto bandwagons (even if I don’t believe in the player) to build some team value for the rest of the season.
I try to watch more games in this period and take some risks to find the next bandwagon earlier than anyone. I rely on the eye test a little bit more than stats here, due to there not being enough fresh data (at least in the first couple of Gameweeks). Although there is no clear line, part one usually ends with the second international break. In general, I am not successful in the first part of the season and rarely find myself in the top 100k.
I don’t have a clear strategy for the first Wildcard. If my team is far from ideal, I pull the trigger for it straight away (last season it was Gameweek 4). If I am a couple of hits away from it, I would just do those instead. At this time, I do not care about overall rank but rather the shape of the team.
The second part is the most important one for me and usually when I climb the rankings. It starts around the second international break and ends with the second Wildcard, or a bit earlier depending on Blank and Double Gameweeks. The template settles around now and I switch my style to ‘swords and shields’ (I like this analogy a lot). This requires extensive forward planning, especially in a season like the last one. I try not to take hits in this period and play it safe with very few differentials. In this period, my decisions are almost exclusively based on stats and I do care about effective ownership a lot.
My strategy for part three depends on where I am ranked. If I am still outside of the top 10k, I continue to play ‘swords and shields’. If I am inside the top 10k, I try to get into the top 5k and then top 1k by playing a bit more aggressively. I would be willing to take calculated risks either by having differential players or captains, or by using chips differently than the rest of the pack.
WHAT IS YOUR BEST FPL MOMENT?
It has to be the 52-pointer by captain Theo Walcott in the 2012/13 season; almost everyone else went for Robin van Persie’s late cameo and assist and that Gameweek threw me into the top 1k for the first time and made me believe I can finish there. An honourable mention would go to Gareth Bale’s 21-pointer last year. I was almost sure he would explode so I used my Wildcard that week to accommodate him in my team.
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP TIPS FOR SECURING A GOOD FINISH?
Each season has its own dynamics. My top tip would be to observe the first part of the season very carefully and not stick with any predefined strategy. Adapting your approach is the most important thing for me in FPL.
WHAT STATS DO YOU PAY MOST ATTENTION TO? WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE TOOL IN THE PREMIUM MEMBERS AREA?
My favourite is the Comparison Tool; I use both versions for players and teams. I also check Match Data and the Season Ticker quite frequently.
For the majority of the time as a Scout member, Big Numbers has been my favourite article. I pay the most attention to expected stats (per start), both for attackers and defenders, but I also care about more traditional stats like shots, key passes, etc. I try not to use data older than four to six Gameweeks.
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